Excavator railcar

ABSTRACT

A railcar configured to transport a payload, the open-topped railcar including left and right sidewalls, forward and rear sidewalls, a left track, and a right track. The left and right sidewalls extend vertically from the floor and include upper edges. The forward and rear sidewalls extend vertically from the floor between the left and right sidewalls to form a payload bay. The left track is positioned near the left sidewall and spaced above the floor and below the upper edge of the left sidewall. The right track is positioned near the right sidewall and spaced above the floor and below the upper edge of the right sidewall. The left track and right track may include a number of pedestals spaced apart from each other and a number of ramps angled diagonally upward from some of the pedestals to upper edges of the forward and rear sidewalls. The left and right tracks are configured to support an independent material moving machine at least partially in the payload bay and/or between the left and right sidewalls.

BACKGROUND

Gondola railcars and other open-topped railcars carrying railroad ties, ballast, and other rail track materials are loaded and unloaded via excavators, tie cranes, and other material moving machines. Most excavators climb directly on top of the rail track materials to traverse and unload the railcars. This can be unstable and limits excavator mobility once some of the rail track materials have been removed. Excavators also often have to rearrange rail track materials on the next railcar before advancing onto the next railcar.

Some material moving machines use temporary scaffolding positioned on top of the railcars, but the temporary scaffolding has to be moved repeatedly. Other material moving machines have specialized bases or wheels that allow them to traverse top sidewall edges of a series of connected railcars, but the specialized bases are cumbersome and inefficient, and the specialized wheels require connector rails to be installed between railcars. Furthermore, material moving machines generally must be transported between work zones via non-rail means.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention solve the above-mentioned problems and other related problems and provide a distinct advance in the art of rail track material transport and dispersion. More particularly, the present invention provides a railcar configured to support an excavator above its floor between its sidewalls.

An embodiment of the invention is a railcar that includes elevated pedestal tracks between its floor and upper sidewall edges. The railcar broadly comprises forward and rear truck assemblies, a frame, a floor, opposing left and right sidewalls, opposing forward and rear sidewalls, a left track, and a right track. The railcar may be a gondola car, an intermodal well car, an open-topped boxcar, a hopper car, or the like.

The forward and rear truck assemblies are positioned below the frame near opposite ends of the railcar. The truck assemblies may include frames, wheels, axles, bearings, brakes, springs, and the like.

The frame extends between the truck assemblies for distributing a weight of a payload (and a weight of the excavator) thereto. The frame may include longitudinal beams, crossbeams, braces, or the like, and may be constructed of I-beams, C-beams, box beams, or the like.

The floor is positioned on the frame and is configured to provide lower support to the payload and excavator. The floor may be substantially flat or may be angled upwards near its ends in a hopper configuration. The floor, together with the left and right sidewalls and the forward and rear sidewalls form a payload bay.

The left and right sidewalls extend vertically from the floor between the forward and rear sidewalls. The left and right sidewalls may include upper edges, below which the payload may be ensured to be retained in the payload bay.

The forward and rear sidewalls extend vertically from the floor between the left and right sidewalls near a forward end of the railcar. The forward and rear sidewalls may include upper edges, below which the payload may be ensured to be retained in the payload bay.

The left track is positioned near the left sidewall in the payload bay and may include a number of pedestals, a number of reinforcement legs, and a number of ramps. The left track is spaced above the floor and below the upper edge of the left sidewall.

The pedestals are spaced apart from each other and each include an upper surface. Some of the pedestals adjacent to each other are laterally bridged to provide unmitigated support points as the excavator transitions from the ramps to the pedestals.

The reinforcement legs extend vertically along the left sidewall to the pedestals. The reinforcement legs distribute weight of the excavator down to the frame.

The ramps are substantially similar, and each extend diagonally upward from one of the pedestals to one of the upper edges of the forward and rear sidewalls. The ramps include grips for engaging tracks (or wheels, tires, etc.) of the excavator.

The right track is positioned near the right sidewall opposite the left track in the payload bay and is substantially similar to the left track. That is, the right track includes a number of pedestals, a number of reinforcement legs, and a number of ramps. The right track is spaced above the floor and below the upper edge of the right sidewall.

The pedestals are spaced apart from each other and each include an upper surface. Some of the pedestals adjacent to each other are laterally bridged to provide unmitigated support points as the excavator transitions from the ramps to the pedestals.

The reinforcement legs of the right track extend vertically along the right sidewall to the pedestals of the right track. The reinforcement legs distribute weight of the excavator down to the frame.

The ramps of the right track are substantially similar, and each extend diagonally upward from the one of the pedestals of the right track to one of the upper edges of the forward sidewall and the rear sidewall. The ramps of the right track include grips for engaging tracks (or wheels, tires, etc.) of the excavator.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a railcar constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the railcar of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a side cutaway elevation view of the railcar of FIG. 1 ; and

FIG. 4 is a front cutaway elevation view of the railcar of FIG. 1 .

The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Turning to the drawing figures, a railcar 10 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The railcar 10 broadly comprises a forward truck assembly 12, a rear truck assembly 14, a frame 16, a floor 18, a left sidewall 20, a right sidewall 22, a forward sidewall 24, a rear sidewall 26, a plurality of reinforcement ribs 28, a left track 30, and a right track 32. The railcar 10 may be a gondola car, an intermodal well car, an open-topped boxcar, a hopper car, or the like.

The railcar 10 is configured for an excavator 100 (FIG. 1 ), a tie crane, or any other suitable material mover. In one embodiment, the railcar 10 is configured for a Komatsu® brand PC170LC-11 model 24-ton excavator. The railcar 10 may be configured to transport railroad ties, railroad track, railroad spikes, tie plates, rail anchors, rock, ballast, and other rail track material and supplies. The railcar 10 may also be configured to store the material mover and transport the material mover between work zones.

The forward truck assembly 12 is positioned below a forward end of the frame 16 for guiding the railcar 10 on railroad tracks 102. The forward truck assembly 12 may include a frame, wheels, axles, bearings, brakes, springs, and the like. The forward truck assembly 12 may also be configured to pivot relative to the frame 16 for traversing curved railroad tracks.

The rear truck assembly 14 is positioned below a rearward end of the frame 16 and may be substantially similar, or even identical, to the forward truck assembly 12. That is, the rear truck assembly 14 may include a frame, wheels, axles, bearings, brakes, springs, and the like. The rear truck assembly 14 may also be configured to pivot relative to the frame 16 for traversing curved railroad tracks.

Alternatively, the railcar 10 may share truck assemblies with adjacent railcars (e.g., Jacobs bogies). Other supports including tire-covered wheel systems or magnetic levitation (maglev) systems may also be used.

The frame 16 extends between the forward truck assembly 12 and the rear truck assembly 14 for distributing a weight of a payload 104 (FIG. 4 ) to the forward truck assembly 12 and the rear truck assembly 14. The frame 16 may include longitudinal beams, crossbeams, braces, or the like, and may be constructed of I-beams, C-beams, box beams, or the like. Alternatively, the frame 16 may include a molded body. The frame 16 may form a chassis including pneumatic, hydraulic, or electrical lines, railcar couplers, or other components.

The floor 18 is positioned on the frame 16 and is configured to provide lower support to the payload 104. The floor 18 may be substantially flat or may be angled upwards near its ends in a hopper configuration. The floor 18, together with the left sidewall 20, right sidewall 22, forward sidewall 24, and rear sidewall 26 form a payload bay 34.

The left sidewall 20 extends vertically from the floor 18 between the forward sidewall 24 and the rear sidewall 26. The left sidewall 20 may include an upper edge, below which the payload 104 may be ensured to be retained in the payload bay 34.

The right sidewall 22 may be substantially similar to the left sidewall 20. That is, the left sidewall extends vertically from the floor 18 between the forward sidewall 24 and the rear sidewall 26 opposite the left sidewall 20. The right sidewall 22 may include an upper edge similar to the upper edge of the left sidewall 20.

The forward sidewall 24 extends vertically from the floor 18 between the left sidewall 20 and the right sidewall 22 near a forward end of the railcar 10. The forward sidewall 24 may include an upper edge, below which the payload 104 may be ensured to be retained in the payload bay 34.

The rear sidewall 26 may be substantially similar to the forward sidewall 24. That is, the rear sidewall extends vertically from the floor 18 between the left sidewall 20 and the right sidewall 22 near a rearward end of the railcar 10. The rear sidewall 26 may include an upper edge similar to the upper edge of the forward sidewall 24.

The reinforcement ribs 28 extend vertically and horizontally along the left sidewall 20, right sidewall 22, forward sidewall 24, and rear sidewall 26 to improve their strength. The reinforcement ribs 28 may include I-beams, C-beams, box beams, or the like.

The left track 30 (best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 ) is positioned near the left sidewall 20 in the payload bay 34 and may include a plurality of pedestals 36, a plurality of reinforcement legs 38, and a plurality of ramps 40. Alternatively, the left track 30 may be a single un-broken ledge. The left track 30 may be spaced above the floor 18 and may also be spaced below the upper edge of the left sidewall 20.

The pedestals 36 are spaced apart from each other and each include an upper surface 42. In one embodiment, the upper surface 42 is vertically approximately halfway between the floor 18 and the upper edge of the left sidewall 20. Some of the pedestals 36 adjacent to each other may be laterally bridged to provide unmitigated support points as the excavator 100 transitions from the ramps 40 to the pedestals 36. In one embodiment, the pedestals 36 are positioned straight across from corresponding pedestals of the right track 32. Alternatively, the pedestals 36 may be staggered relative to pedestals of the right track 32.

The reinforcement legs 38 extend vertically along the left sidewall 20 to the pedestals 36. The reinforcement legs 38 distribute weight of the excavator 100 down to the frame 16. The reinforcement legs 38 may also be integrated with some of the reinforcement ribs 28.

The ramps 40 extend diagonally upward from the pedestals 36 to the upper edges of the forward sidewall 24 and the rear sidewall 26. The ramps 40 may include grips 44 for engaging tracks (or wheels, tires, etc.) of the excavator 100. The ramps 40 allow the excavator 100 to descend onto the pedestals 36 from and climb back over the upper edges of the forward sidewall 24 and rear sidewall 26. In this way, the railcar 10 is independent from the excavator 100 and vice versa, and the excavator 100 can traverse between adjacent railcars and move between the railcar 10 and an excavator transport vehicle.

The right track 32 (best seen in FIG. 2 ) is positioned near the right sidewall 22 opposite the left track 30 in the payload bay 34 and is substantially similar to the left track 30. That is, the right track 32 may include a plurality of pedestals 46, a plurality of reinforcement legs 48, and a plurality of ramps 50. Alternatively, the right track 32 may be a single un-broken ledge. The right track 32 may be spaced above the floor 18 and may also be spaced below the upper edge of the right sidewall 22.

The pedestals 46 are spaced apart from each other and each include an upper surface 52. In one embodiment, the upper surface 52 is vertically approximately halfway between the floor 18 and the upper edge of the right sidewall 22. Some of the pedestals 46 adjacent to each other may be laterally bridged to provide unmitigated support points as the excavator 100 transitions from the ramps 50 to the pedestals 46. In one embodiment, the pedestals 46 are positioned straight across from corresponding pedestals 36 of the left track 30. Alternatively, the pedestals 46 may be staggered relative to pedestals 36 of the left track 30.

The reinforcement legs 48 extend vertically along the right sidewall 22 to the pedestals 46. The reinforcement legs 48 distribute weight of the excavator 100 down to the frame 16. The reinforcement legs 48 may also be integrated with some of the reinforcement ribs 28.

The ramps 50 extend diagonally upward from the pedestals 46 to the upper edges of the forward sidewall 24 and the rear sidewall 26. The ramps 50 may include grips 54 for engaging tracks (or wheels, tires, etc.) of the excavator 100. The ramps 50 allow the excavator 100 to descend onto the pedestals 46 from and climb back over the upper edges of the forward sidewall 24 and rear sidewall 26.

The left track 30 and right track 32 may be positioned for 102-inch span excavator tracks to accommodate excavators that can be transported via truck to any location without special permits. The railcar 10 may fall within Plate F AAR railcar guidelines. An overall height of the railcar 10 and vertical position of the left track 30 and right track 32 may ensure an overall height of the railcar 10 plus excavator to not exceed 17 feet. The railcar 10 may be connected with similar railcars to form a train of railcars that the excavator 100 may traverse and unload.

The above-described railcar 10 provides several advantages. For example, the left track 30 and right track 32 elevate the excavator 100 above the floor 18 and retain the excavator 100 below upper edges of the left sidewall 20 and right sidewall 22. This allows the excavator 100 to remove material(s) from the payload bay 34 without needing to be on the floor 18 and without being relegated to a position completely above the upper edges of the left sidewall 20 and right sidewall 22. This is more effective and safer for the excavator operator. The pedestals 36, 46 provide sufficient support and stability for the excavator 100 while allowing for maximum payload space between the pedestals 36, 46. The ramps 40, 50 also allow the excavator to traverse between adjacent railcars and to drive onto the railcar 10 from an excavator transport vehicle.

Additional Considerations

The description and drawings are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to avoid obscuring the description. References to one embodiment or an embodiment in the present disclosure are not necessarily references to the same embodiment; and, such references mean at least one.

The use of headings herein is merely provided for ease of reference, and shall not be interpreted in any way to limit this disclosure or the following claims.

References to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, and are not necessarily all referring to separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features are described which may be exhibited by one embodiment and not by others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirements for one embodiment but not for other embodiments. Unless excluded by explicit description and/or apparent incompatibility, any combination of various features described in this description is also included here.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implement components, operations, or structures described as a single instance. Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more of the individual operations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that the operations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures and functionality presented as separate components in example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

The patent claims at the end of this patent application are not intended to be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless traditional means-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as “means for” or “step for” language being explicitly recited in the claim(s).

In the foregoing specification, the disclosure has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be evident that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope as set forth in the following claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.

Although the invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims.

Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following: 

1. A railcar configured to transport a payload, the railcar comprising: forward and rearward truck assemblies including wheels configured to traverse a railroad track; a frame extending between the forward and rearward truck assemblies for distributing a weight of the payload to the forward and rear truck assemblies; a floor positioned on the frame and configured to provide lower support to the payload; left and right sidewalls extending vertically from the floor, the left and right sidewalls including upper edges; forward and rear sidewalls extending vertically from the floor between the left and right sidewalls to form a payload bay; a left track near the left sidewall and spaced above the floor and below the upper edge of the left sidewall; and a right track near the right sidewall and spaced above the floor and below the upper edge of the right sidewall, the left and right tracks being configured to support an independent material moving machine at least partially in the payload bay.
 2. The railcar of claim 1, the left track and the right track each including a plurality of pedestals spaced apart from each other.
 3. The railcar of claim 2, each of the plurality of pedestals including an upper surface positioned approximately halfway between the floor and the upper edges of the left and right sidewalls.
 4. The railcar of claim 2, each of the left track and the right track comprising a plurality of ramps extending diagonally upward from some of the plurality of pedestals toward the forward and rear sidewalls.
 5. The railcar of claim 4, the forward and rear sidewalls including upper edges, the plurality of ramps extending diagonally upward to the upper edges of the forward and rear sidewalls.
 6. The railcar of claim 4, the plurality of ramps including grips for engaging tracks, wheels, or tires of the independent material moving machine.
 7. The railcar of claim 2, the left and right tracks further including a plurality of vertically extending reinforcement legs integrated with the left and right sidewalls.
 8. The railcar of claim 7, some of the plurality of pedestals of the left track and of the right track being laterally bridged between adjacent reinforcement legs.
 9. The railcar of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of external ribs for reinforcing the left and right sidewalls and forward and rear sidewalls.
 10. The railcar of claim 1, the plurality of pedestals of the left track including left pedestals, the plurality of pedestals of the right track including right pedestals, each of the left pedestals being positioned directly laterally across from one of the right pedestals, and each of the right pedestals being positioned directly laterally across from one of the left pedestals.
 11. A railcar configured to transport a payload, the open-topped railcar comprising: forward and rearward truck assemblies including wheels configured to traverse a railroad track; a frame extending between the forward and rearward truck assemblies for distributing a weight of the payload to the forward and rear truck assemblies; a floor positioned on the frame and configured to provide lower support to the payload; left and right sidewalls extending vertically from the floor; forward and rear sidewalls extending vertically from the floor between the left and right sidewalls to form a payload bay; a left track including a plurality of pedestals spaced above the floor near the left sidewall and spaced from each other; and a right track including a plurality of pedestals spaced above the floor near the right sidewall and spaced from each other, the left and right tracks being configured to support an independent material moving machine between the left and right sidewalls.
 12. The railcar of claim 11, left and right sidewalls including upper edges, the plurality of pedestals of the left track and of the right track being positioned lower than the upper edges of the left and right sidewalls to support the independent material moving machine at least partially in the payload bay.
 13. The railcar of claim 12, each of the plurality of pedestals of the left track and of the right track including an upper surface positioned approximately halfway between the floor and the upper edges of the left and right sidewalls.
 14. The railcar of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of ramps extending diagonally upward from some of the plurality of pedestals of the left track and of the right track toward the forward and rear sidewalls.
 15. The railcar of claim 14, the forward and rear sidewalls including upper edges, the plurality of ramps extending diagonally upward to the upper edges of the forward and rear sidewalls.
 16. The railcar of claim 14, the plurality of ramps including grips for engaging tracks, wheels, or tires of the independent material moving machine.
 17. The railcar of claim 11, the left and right tracks further including vertically extending reinforcement legs integrated with the left and right sidewalls.
 18. The railcar of claim 17, some of the plurality of pedestals of the left track and of the right track being laterally bridged between adjacent reinforcement legs.
 19. The railcar of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of external ribs for reinforcing the left and right sidewalls and forward and rear sidewalls.
 20. A railcar system comprising: a plurality of open-topped railcars each configured to transport a payload, each of the plurality of open-topped railcars comprising: forward and rearward truck assemblies including wheels configured to traverse a railroad track; a frame extending between the forward and rearward truck assemblies for distributing a weight of the payload to the forward and rear truck assemblies; a floor positioned on the frame and configured to provide lower support to the payload; left and right sidewalls extending vertically from the floor; forward and rear sidewalls extending vertically from the floor between the left and right sidewalls to form a payload bay; a left track including a plurality of pedestals spaced above the floor near the left sidewall and spaced from each other; a right track including a plurality of pedestals spaced above the floor near the right sidewall and spaced from each other; a plurality of ramps extending diagonally upward from some of the plurality of pedestals of the left track and of the right track toward the forward and rear sidewalls; and a plurality of material moving machines configured to be positioned at least partially in the payload bays and on the left and right tracks of some of the plurality of open-topped railcars and traverse between adjacent ones of the plurality of open-topped railcars via the plurality of ramps of the plurality of open-topped railcars. 